This is my fully dried, unleashed hair after wearing it in a bun and exposing it to the very cool Boston air w/ no products. A few hours prior, I was in a rush and decided to wash my hair at a whim, I had to meet w/ someone and my hair was just too dandruffy to step out that way. I then proceeded to slap some clarifying shampoo and mainly rubbed all over instead of focusing on the scalp, I then followed w/ a light conditioner (Dove, which is simply not thick/moisturizing enough). I did every imaginable thing that was counteroductive for my hair during the wash process (shakes head). I just don't know what possessed me to wash my hair in the manner that I did and paid a price for doing all the no-no's.

1) Using too much shampoo esp undiluted. At worst, a clarifying one.

2) Washing hair loose.

3) Not properly deep conditioning or even moisturizing after shampooing to replenish all the stripped oils from my hair .

4) Not braiding or twisting/retwisting immediately after a wash.

Let's just say my hair was in a terrible state after arriving home three hours later. My hair was dry and sounded awfully crispy/crunchy (you could hear it). I had to re-wet/deep conditioned my hair w/ Neautrogena under a cap for 1.5 hour and though it helped slightly, it just wasn't enough. I then applied a little castor oil when my hair was 75% dry, but still not much help. The only thing that brough some relief to combat the dryness was the StaSofro activator ( ?) in the grey/blue jar, but this product only works for me on fully dry hair. I just kept reapplying the activator every two days to moisturize my hair and it worked. I just kept unraveling my twist every two days and reapplying the product and after almost a week, my hair was finally moist/stretched from the twist. But, I still can't take back all the broken/tangly ends from the very diffucult/frustrating detangling session. But again, for my hair type which is very coily, shrinks/dries/tangles easily, I should have known better that my hair simply CAN NOT be washed in any of the "NO-NO" steps, that's simply asking for trouble:(

First Chop:

I’ve been fully natural since 2000, but transitioned for about six months in extensions from September 1999. However, going natural for me wasn't a spiritual, religious or emotional decision, I was simply going to college and just didn’t feel like being bothered with my hair and chose braids as the solution. But, after the five or six months of getting my hair braided, I had A LOT of growth and my hair was looking crazy with half completely natural and the other with crazy, straight ends, so with no regrets, I went to a hair shop and told them to cut it off…that was the last time I saw my hair in a perm. In between those years, I had worn puffs and twists for very short periods of time, but keeping my hair in braids were my main styles. For the most part, I wore my hair in small or micro braids for 3-4 months intervals from 2000-2004 and my hair thrived, but I always made sure to get regular trips to the salon to get a blow/trim before restarting the process of getting fresh braids.

Second Chop:

In December 2003, I went to a salon to get my hair trimmed, but the stylist kept suggesting getting my hair flat ironed in addition to the usual blow/trim so she could even things out completely—I was a little apprehensive about this, but I went ahead and did it anyway. Meanwhile, the stylist kept assuring me straightening my hair was the best way to trim it and it would revert back to my natural kinks so I let her do her thing. Once the hair dresser was done blow-drying and flat-ironing, I was floored, I had never seen my hair that long and healthy-it was on my shoulders and mid- back, I really never thought my hair could grow this long in that short period of time. But after that session, the next day, I washed my hair in fear the napps wouldn’t return and was relived when it shriveled right back up went water fell on it…aaaah!!

In February 2004, I realized how much I missed the way the wind blew my hair when I had stepped outside the salon after getting it straightened, I remembered the luscious, thick hair that fell on my back /pass my shoulders , I just wanted to experience that again. So, I made an appointment to get my hair pressed and curled, I thought it would have been the first/last time I did this but it wasn’t. I was getting compliments left and right, I was simply loving my straight hair-what I thought would have been a one time thing rolled into months of getting my hair blown first/straightened w a flat-iron or hot combed and then curled with a curling iron. This method was done every two weeks, sometimes every 1.5 weeks and still I would go home and try curling it myself at times. My hair was so straight, that when washed, it remained straight, it was so straight that a different “hairdresser” almost got into an argument with me telling me I had a perm and stated she had “never seen natural pressed hair that straight look the way it did”. Mind you, my hair is more of a mixture of 4a/4b hair I think that rarely took perms, and even when I used to get relaxers, it was NEVER that silky.

However, after about 4.5 months of burning my hair, I started worrying about its condition, my once thick hair started thinning and you could visually see it, not to mention, the flyaways and frizzed/fried ends were just unsightly. Finally, in July 2004, I was one of the bridesmaids in my friend’s wedding and by that time (5th month of pressing/burning my hair), I knew it was the last time I was putting any kind of heat near it, but a different stylist (I had so many of them and never stuck w/ one) had confirmed what I had suspected, my hair was simply damaged beyond repair and she suggested completely leaving the heat alone and leaving my hair natural. So, the next day, frightened by the terrible news and not sure what to do cause my hair was in such a mess, I walked into an African hair shop and got my hair braided and boy oh boy was I amazed when I removed the braids 1.5 months later. To my surprise and complete horror, my hair was in the worst shaped EVER, I don’t know what happened, but my hair was GONE esp. in the left side of my hair in the back, upper ear, my hair was half of what it used to be, I kid you not-of course now I know weak/damaged hair/braids just don’t mix. So, again, I went to cut it off and told the stylist to cut it all off, but because there still some length in some areas, the stylist ended up cutting ½ of the length throughout and suggested cutting the rest as it grew out, so I went to the salon and got a trim evry 2 months for a year until all damaged/pressed hair were cut.

From July 2004-July 2006, I wore braids to grow my hair out again and simply because I really hated doing my hair then. But my edges around the perimeter started thinning badly esp. the right temple which almost went completely bald (slightly larger than a quarter)-I thought the hair would never grow back. But, after getting tired of wearing braids, I wanted a change desperately and wanted to let my hair just be and breathe, just felt like I was faking the funk for too long, at times, I even felt like a braid-addict. Thus, from September 2006 and beyond, I’ve been wearing my hair completely natural. Don’t get me wrong, I love braids, but I was too concerned about my edges that were near balding so I had to retire from it , But overtime, I learned to embrace my hair completely and now, I simply love every kink, bend and curl.


Third mini chop:

Occurred in October 2006, I just felt like I needed it. I was referred to a stylist and she did an alright job trimming my 2-4 inches of hair, but not great (sigh) from what I remember after the trim, my hair ranged from 7.5-10.5 inches. Because I was obsessed with my hair to be even( I don’t know why), two weeks later I was back at it w/ the scissors cause I think I needed a more evn trim.

The state of my hair today (November 2007):

My hair now as of 11/15/07, I guess I’ve been growing this new hair a little over 3 yrs, although I’ve been fully natural since Feb or March 2000. But, I know I could do a much better job at growing/maintaining it. Thus, from this day forward, my mission is to determine what really works for my hair, keep it moisturized and grow it out…I’m just tired of the set-backs w/ my hair growing then breaking which then results in cutting---uughh. I am frustrated of the almost bi-weekly or monthly trims so it seems. My focus now is to figure out how to keep the growing hair on my head and keep the ends healthy, my hair measurements are mainly 11.5- 13.5 inches depending on which section you pull, but I’m ready to grow my hair longer and healthier. I don’t believe growing it will be the hardest part, as I believe everyone’s hair grows, but keeping the ends, well my ends, has always been and will continue to be a battle. I’m going to try to take it easy with the scissors. I just know if I took better care of it then I wouldn't need to cut so much off due to the constant breakage/split & knotted ends, and perhaps I could successfully grow my hair to much longer lengths…we’ll see:)